Specsavers staff get up-to-the-minute bus information

193128 Oct 2016Product

To promote greater use of public transport, Nottingham City Council has launched an initiative with Specsavers HQ in the city to provide real-time information screens, supplied by 21st Century and using the company’s passenger information software.

Specsavers employs 350 people at its NG2 Business Park office which has a shortage of parking spaces. To encourage staff members to leave their cars at home the company has installed a 21st Century 46in LCD display screen in its reception that streams live traffic and public transport updates.

The initiative is run in conjunction with Nottingham City Council, which has invested £8,500 on the technology and software from funds raised through the workplace parking levy. The council has been a customer of 21st Century for number of years and already has similar ruggedised outdoor versions of the screen at various locations, including both the Victoria and Broadmarsh bus stations.

Specsavers is the first employer to install a 21st Century EPI screen, but Nottingham City Council is planning to extend the initiative to other companies on the site, as well as other business parks with good transport links.

“The city council is pleased to award Specsavers the honour of being the first ever business to have a real-time bus and tram display screen installed,” says Corall Jenkins, executive assistant for transport at the council. “Together with its other initiatives, this is a real step forward in driving a more sustainable transport system through the Totally Transport initiative. Nottingham has award-winning transport providers and a network that has a track record for quality, integrated and frequent public transport services, and this is something that we want to see more commuters making use of.”

21st Century has also developed a simplified version of the EPI software, which is currently being installed with another employer on the same business park. The company is also in talks with other potential users of the system around the UK, including hospitals, shopping centres, leisure centres and railway stations.